5 Napkin Burger

Sometimes the food makes for a memorable night, sometimes it’s the people, and sometimes it is a mix of both. This past Friday night, a bunch of Boston blogger friends (Megan, Michelle, Daisy, Jen, Justin) and significant others met for dinner at one of Boston’s newest hot spots, 5 Napkin Burger. For me, it was definitely the great group of people who made the evening for me.

Eric and I arrived a little early, looking to get out of the rain and maybe to put our name in for our party of 12, as Megan had not been able to make a reservation for us due to the restaurant’s policies. It turns out Michelle and her fiancé had arrived before us, and with their names in, we had an hour and a half wait. We took that time to gather by the bar with some of the great beers on 5 Napkin Burger’s beer list. As we caught up, the rest of our group slowly trickled in. Though we were all pretty hungry at this point, the time passed pretty quickly, and soon enough we were at our table for 12.

I actually snapped some photos of people this time around!

Once we sat down, we had the task of deciding on burgers, drinks, appetizers, and sides. Burgers and beers go perfectly together, so I went for an Eye of the Hawk beer from Mendocino Brewing Company. This coppery beer with caramel flavors was a perfect choice.

We ordered a bunch of sides to share, including these fluffy tater tots. By the time they arrived, I was ready to eat the table, and I dug in. We also ordered the Tuscan fries which I found flavorful but not crispy enough.

In addition, we had the house-made pickles which were crunchy and addictive, and the onion rings, which I had been looking forward to the most. Unfortunately, I found them to be like any run of the mill onion ring, maybe a little less greasy but nothing great.

I decided to order the veggie burger for dinner. It came topped with 5 Napkin sauce, pickles, lettuce, and tomato on a multi-grain roll. I thought the veggie burger was fine, but the only thing that really stood out was its size. I just can’t eat that much in one sitting! I have to say, I was a little disappointed in the 5 Napkin sauce; I found it to be bland and I guess not what I was expecting. The pickles and the roll were both nice touches for the burger. 5 Napkin Burger has a variety of other menu items, including sushi, and I would probably skip the veggie burger and go for one of those if I returned.

When we got to dessert, I was on the fence as it was nearing 11:00, and after a busy day of working and a sleepless night, I was tired! But everyone else was having dessert, milkshakes like Megan’s salted caramel shake above, to be exact, so my husband and I shared the brownie sundae.

I actually had a hard time finding the brownie under the mountains of whipped cream and ice cream. Normally a fan of sweet and salty together, I found the salted peanuts on top overwhelmingly salty and the cream cloyingly sweet. I am probably better off skipping dessert at most places.

I had such a fun time hanging out with friends on a Friday night, especially after the week I had! 5 Napkin Burger was super crowded which is understandable because it is so new. As a result, the food, and especially the milkshakes, took a really long time.

Everyone seemed to really love their “real” burgers, so I would say this is probably a good place for a burger lover. My experience was more that “really big” food is supposed to equal really good, and it fell sort of flat. It wasn’t bad, but it also wouldn’t be in my top 10 places I would want to go to dinner.

Are you a burger person? What is your favorite kind of burger/toppings?

Good, honest review. I still haven’t been but actually am hearing mixed reactions from friends. I guess I’ll have to check it out myself soon! I do like burgers, and I’m usually a purist – I just want some really good meat and a little cheese. But I also like experimenting with toppings like avocado and blue cheese

Hmm, this place has been hopping ever since it’s opening. Adam and I went there last week for drinks and fries (we got the Tuscan fries which we liked a lot) and had a great time… so I was really looking forward to returning and trying the veggie burger. You’re definitely making me rethink this!

I really liked the 5 napkin veggie burger. The size was not off putting to me-if i was hungry i could eat the entire thing, and if not-i love leftovers for lunch! I loved that you could tell it was made with fresh veggies, beans, and grains-no processed soy or gluten products like seitan. I didn’t get the “special sauce” though. I also LOVED their beer list-especially the vanilla java stout. wish their wait wasn’t so long!